Lammen goedzak / Le bon Guillaume 1800 - 1833

This illustrated broadsheet, *Lammen goedzak / Le bon Guillaume,* was made by Philippus Jacobus Brepols in the early 19th century. It’s a woodcut printed on paper and then colored, a relatively low-cost means of production that allowed for mass distribution. The simple, graphic style has a folksy charm, but also speaks to the economics of printmaking at the time. Each image is a vignette depicting scenes from everyday life, presented in a grid. The strong lines and flat areas of color are typical of woodcut, where the artist carves away the negative space to leave the design raised. This allowed for multiple impressions to be pulled quickly, meeting the demand for affordable printed material. In its time, the image would have been seen as disposable, but now it gives us a direct connection to the visual culture and the economic realities of the early 1800s. It’s a fascinating example of how materials, making, and social context come together in a single artwork.